Muscleblind-like (MBNL) proteins have been implicated in alternative-splicing regulation during development, and altered levels of these proteins have been implicated in myotonic dystrophy. The structure of the MBNL1 zinc finger domains in complex with RNA indicates how the target sequence is recognized and suggests that an antiparallel arrangement of the zinc fingers causes a trajectory reversal in the pre-mRNA target. The potential role of such generated looped segments in alternative splicing is discussed.
- Marianna Teplova
- Dinshaw J Patel